A shelter for homeless teenagers has received approval to operate out of a house on Colorado Avenue. 

City Council on Dec. 7 approved a conditional use permit for the residential facility operated by Sparrow’s Nest Northwest Montana.

“Congratulations,” city councilor Richard Hildner told organizers of the shelter. “As a former classroom teacher, I’ve seen students who are living in cars or somewhere else, and rely on eating breakfast at school and showering in the locker room — this is awesome.”

St. Peter Lutheran Church has agreed to let Sparrow’s Nest use the home the church owns. The house will provide up to five Flathead teenagers a safe place to sleep at night while attending high school.

“Our goal is to help these students graduate from high school,” said Sparrow’s Nest board member Laura Kochis.

About 25 people stood up during the council meeting saying they support the operation of the shelter.

Michael Flannery, pastor of St. Peter church, said when the church wasn’t using the house as a parsonage it began to look for another use for the house.

“The congregation asked how we could serve the community,” he said. “This is in the best interest of the community and it addresses a need.”

Whitefish School District Superintendent Heather Davis Schmidt told council she supports the plan.

“Students often don’t complete school because of homelessness,” she said.

The shelter could open by the end of the month, according to organizers.

The teens will be under 24-hour professional supervision and can stay at the home as long as they need shelter until they graduate high school. The teens will be drug tested and must remain enrolled in school.

Whitefish students will be considered first, but the shelter will be open to any Flathead Valley student, Kochis noted.

According to a recent study conducted by Flathead Homelessness Interagency Resource and Education, approximately 30 percent of the homeless population in Flathead County is under the age of 18.

In mid 2013, the study reveals, the count of homeless youth enrolled in local schools was 268, including 79 in Columbia Falls 79 and 10 in Whitefish.

The Sparrow’s Nest states its mission is to enable these homeless students to graduate from high school in a safe environment, and ultimately become productive members of their community.

The group is still working to open a similar shelter in Kalispell in a donated building, but that won’t likely be ready until next year.